Crowd boston massacre troops british engraving paul march 5 1770

American Revolution

  • French Indian War

    French Indian War

    aka 7 Years War between France and England. In the colonies, it was called the French Indian War because the colonists fought with British soldiers against France the Indians who were on side of France. Because of the war, England had a massive war debt began to tax the people in the 13 colonies.
  • Mercantilism

    Mercantilism

    Beginning in 1763 economic policy England followed when it came to the 13 colonies. England saw the colonies as a market for English goods wanted to get money (taxes) natural resources from the colonies.
  • Salutary neglect

    hands off approach by Great Britain; British policy of loosely enforcing laws and regulations in the American colonies, allowing them to govern themselves.
  • Stamp Act

    Stamp Act

    The stamp act was the first direct tax on American colonies. It required stamps on all legal papers. Sparking widespread protest under the banner of "Taxation without Representation.
  • Townshend Acts

    Townshend Acts

    The Townshend Acts 1767–1768 were a series of British parliamentary measures that placed duties on imported goods glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea to pay for royal officials salaries and assert authority over the American colonies. These acts provoked intense colonial resistance, leading to boycotts, the formation of the Daughters of Liberty, and increased tensions that resulted in the Boston Massacre.
  • Boston Massacre

    Boston Massacre

    The Boston Massacre was the confrontation when nine British soldiers shot several in a crowd estimated between 300 and 400, who were harassing them verbally and throwing various projectiles. The event was subsequently described as "a massacre" by Samuel Adams, Paul Revere
  • Boston Tea Party

    Boston Tea Party

    The Boston Tea Party was an act of protest on December 16, 1773 during the American Revolution. Initiated by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, the capital of Massachusetts
  • Intolerable Acts

    Intolerable Acts

    The intolerable act was passed by the British Parliament in 1774, were four punitive measures meant to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and restore order.
  • Quartering Act

    Quartering Act

    The Quartering Acts of 1765 and 1774 were British parliamentary laws requiring American colonists to house and supply British troops. They aimed to reduce military costs after the French and Indian War and assert authority. While not placing troops directly in private homes at first, they fueled colonial resentment, leading directly to the American Revolution.
  • Olive Branch Petition

    Olive Branch Petition

    Adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775, the Olive Branch Petition was a final attempt to avoid full-blown war with Great Britain.
  • Battle of Lexington & Concord

    Battle of Lexington & Concord

    The Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, were the first major military actions between the British Army and Patriot militias from British America's Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolutionary War.
  • Second Continental Congress

    Second Continental Congress

    Second Continental Congress, assembling in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, served as the de facto national government during the American Revolution.
  • Common Sense

    Common Sense

    Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776) was an important booklet that argued the American colonies should break away from Great Britain right away. He wrote it in simple, everyday language so everyone could understand his ideas. It changed the conversation from just complaining about taxes to demanding that the colonies become their own independent country.
  • Declaration of Independence

    Declaration of Independence

    he Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Second Continental Congress, is the foundational document of the United States. It formally announced the separation of 13 British colonies in North America from Great Britain and detailed the philosophical and legal basis for this rebellion.
  • Articles of Confederation

    Articles of Confederation

    The Articles of Confederation served as the first constitution of the United States, in effect from 1781 to 1789. Drafted by the Second Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War, the document established a "league of friendship" among the 13 sovereign states, prioritizing state independence over a strong central authority.
  • Annapolis Convention

    Annapolis Convention

    The Annapolis Convention was a pivotal meeting held from September 11 to 14, 1786, in Annapolis, Maryland, which, despite limited attendance, ultimately led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The primary goal was to address the inadequate Articles of Confederation, particularly issues surrounding interstate trade and commerce.
  • Daniel Shays’ Rebellion

    Daniel Shays’ Rebellion

    Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts between 1786 and 1787. Led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays, the movement was a response to high taxes and aggressive debt collection that left many farmers facing foreclosure or imprisonment.
  • Constitutional Convention

    Constitutional Convention

    The Constitutional Convention (also known as the Philadelphia Convention) took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Originally convened to "revise" the failing Articles of Confederation, the 55 delegates instead chose to scrap them and draft an entirely new framework for the U.S. government.